During the Spring Festival holiday, many people plan to return home or travel. For some pet owners, how to settle their "furry children" at home has become the top priority, leading to a surge in demand for pet foster care. A reporter from the Rule of Law Daily observed the situation of pet foster care before this year's Spring Festival holiday and found that in first tier cities, many pet shops and family foster care had already been in high demand before the holiday, showing a hot scene of supply shortage. In some areas, foster care prices have doubled compared to normal days. However, contrary to the hot market situation, many practitioners have a relatively "calm" attitude. Some practitioners told reporters that although the pet foster care industry is showing a thriving scene, the standardized governance and operation of the pet foster care industry still need to be further improved behind the industry's prosperity. The reporter searched for relevant services on a third-party complaint platform, and some of the search results also confirmed this viewpoint. Many consumers have reported that although some pet foster services are priced high, they are "worthless", and there are many cases where pets have various illnesses after being fostered, and they are "not at ease without being fostered, and not at ease even after being fostered". In this regard, the interviewed experts believe that the pet foster industry must explore and establish sound industry standards and management methods as soon as possible, clarify standards, regulate charging behavior, and provide evidence and examples for dispute resolution. Only by truly making consumers understand and trust can the pet foster industry achieve significant development. On February 7th, a manager of family style pet foster services in Daxing District, Beijing, told reporters that the supply is in short supply due to price increases. "We are now 'fully staffed', and someone here started making appointments a month ago. The reporter consulted and found that there is still a week before the Spring Festival, and many pet foster "housing sources" are in urgent need. The pet foster market has fully entered the "Spring Festival period", and many stores that provide foster services have stated that cage spaces are generally tight. A high-end "pet resort" located in Chaoyang District, Beijing, said that its holiday period is currently almost fully booked, and all basic room types have been fully booked before the end of the Spring Festival holiday on February 23. Even high-end room types such as "courtyard suites" priced up to 600 yuan per night have already been fully booked, with only a few mid-range room types remaining after February 20. The reporter learned that currently, there are many forms of pet foster care, such as pet family foster care, pet store foster care, pet hotel foster care, etc. Different forms and foster care institutions provide different services. Among them, pet home foster care generally refers to the service provider taking care of the foster pet within their own family, mainly adopting free range and having a certain amount of home activity space; Pet store foster care refers to placing the fostered pets in independent cages within the pet store. Some pet stores may also provide paid bathing, grooming, and other services; Pet foster hotels are generally located in suburban areas, with large land areas and spacious activity spaces. A practitioner told reporters that currently, pet foster care services have become standardized and specialized, with 24-hour real-time monitoring, constant temperature air conditioning, and independent fresh air systems becoming the "standard" for most mid to high end foster care institutions. Owners usually only need to bring their pets' usual food and toys. The price of foster care mainly depends on the size of the pet, the space size of the selected "room type", and the level of supporting services. The reporter asked a "pet hotel" located in Chaoyang District, Beijing and learned that the price of its "family sunroom" during the Spring Festival is 368 yuan per pet per day, with an additional charge of 50 yuan for each additional pet. The room area is mostly 6 to 7 square meters, providing 24-hour real-time monitoring. The owner can provide feedback on their pet's diet and excretion through photos and videos every morning and evening, and play with them for no less than 20 minutes every day. During the investigation, the reporter found that there was a widespread price increase in the pet foster care market during the Spring Festival period. However, some merchants arbitrarily adjust prices, leaving consumers feeling at a loss. In just two days, the price was adjusted, and it changed as soon as possible. ”Ms. Song, who works in Shanghai, said that before the Spring Festival, she used social media platforms to choose home foster care services for her beloved dog. At the initial consultation, the other party clearly stated "58 yuan on weekdays, 68 yuan on weekends, and 88 yuan on holidays", but just two days later, the price became "68 yuan on weekdays, 108 yuan on holidays", and the merchant did not update the price details after the price increase on the online platform. The reporter learned through investigation that pet type and size are also important factors affecting prices. Different merchants have different pricing standards: some classify pets based on weight, while others classify them into "large, medium, and small" categories according to their breeds. In addition, there are price differences between captive and free range pets, as well as between daily and monthly subscriptions. The reporter asked more than 20 pet foster care businesses and found that there is no unified pricing standard and reference. The adjustment of prices can still be accepted by some pet owners, but the uneven quality of service directly threatens the health and safety of "furry children", causing headaches for many pet owners. Ms. Gu from Shanghai told reporters that her kitten lost 0.4 kilograms after being fostered in a pet store for 10 days. Seeing the foster cage in the video getting dirtier and there was no trace of cleaning, I smelled a strange smell as soon as the cat came back. "Ms. Gu admitted that she had experience in foster care before, and the price of this foster care was relatively affordable, so she did not have high expectations. However, she did not expect that the kitten was found to have ringworm after being brought home. Apart from cases where pets are plagued by minor illnesses during their foster care due to improper care, there are also instances where the lack of professional knowledge by the foster care provider leads to serious damage to the health of pets. Mr. Wang from Guangdong once fostered his pet cat for 10 days at a pet store that provided "multi cat family rooms" for a price of 2000 yuan. During this period, the pet cat experienced symptoms such as vomiting and mental exhaustion, but the shop owner did not explain. Mr. Wang only discovered the abnormality during a visit. After being sent to the hospital, the pet cat developed severe conditions such as acute pancreatitis and received a critical condition notification at one point. We are not a professional pet hospital "" We have multiple cats mixed together, and we cannot accurately determine which cat has a problem "... Afterwards, the other party's attitude and words made Mr. Wang both angry and powerless. Why didn't you proactively inform me of the risks when accepting orders, knowing that it's difficult to accurately care for multiple cats? ”Mr. Wang told reporters that he later discovered that there was a hidden mystery in the agreement he signed: the foster care agreement signed by both parties mentioned that if a pet experiences abnormalities due to non-human factors during their stay in the store, the owner needs to provide a (previous) pet health certificate. But Mr. Wang also noticed that the agreement did not make any relevant requirements for the merchants. The merchants do not need to prove the health status of the fostered pets in the store, nor do they need to actively verify the health status of the newly moved pets with the foster owners. Mr. Wang stated, "This kind of 'diversionary' word game will only make it difficult for consumers to protect their rights." When searching for keywords such as' pet foster care 'on third-party complaint platforms, reporters found that due to negligence in foster care institutions, there are many cases of health problems with foster pets. This includes pets getting sick from eating spoiled food, and dogs being bitten by other pets during foster care without timely treatment leading to worsening of their condition. Strengthen supervision and clarify standards. The relationship formed between pet owners and pet custodians is a custody contract. ”Lawyer Chang Sha from Kyoto Law Firm analyzed that pet foster care institutions, as providers of foster care services, should fulfill their obligations of careful care and proper custody. Pet owners have the obligation to pay storage fees, and at the same time, pet owners, i.e. caretakers, should truthfully inform pet foster care institutions of the true situation of their pets, especially special circumstances. Changsha reminds pet owners, as caretakers, to carefully choose foster care institutions that have relevant qualifications and can provide suitable space and facilities for their pets to live in. When fostering pets, it is best to sign a written foster agreement that specifies the responsibility for any problems that arise during the foster period. In the event of an unexpected situation, compensation should be made according to the agreement to avoid disputes. For consumers, how can they protect their legitimate rights and interests if they encounter phenomena such as overcharging? Chang Sha suggests that before boarding, consumers should form a written agreement with the merchant, detailing the services and fees received by the pet during the boarding period. If the merchant intends to add service items to the pet during the foster care period, and the service is provided without the consumer's consent, the consumer has the right to refuse to pay for this part of the fee. If the problem cannot be resolved through negotiation, consumers can request mediation from consumer associations or other legally established mediation organizations, or protect their legitimate rights and interests through judicial means. Chen Yinjiang, Deputy Secretary General of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, stated that pet foster care services have certain particularities and may encounter many problems, making it difficult to establish service standards. Industry organizations and regulatory departments should combine the actual market situation, summarize various issues related to pet foster care, and explore the establishment of sound industry standards and regulatory systems. At the end of this interview, a pet owner told me, "It has accompanied me through countless lonely days, and during the Spring Festival, I also hope it can be treated well." The background of the festival cannot be separated from the word "reunion," and for the "poop shoveling officials," the small dog wagging its tail and the cute cat squinting its eyes at home are also indispensable members of reunion. When the protagonists travel to distant places to reunite with their families, how to deal with this heavy concern becomes the gentlest and most difficult problem during holidays. In interviews, I have seen young people who started consulting foster care institutions early in the morning. In their chat records, they repeatedly asked if they could take more videos and if they would feed them their favorite food on time. The hidden love between the lines is their affection for the "furry children"; I have also seen practitioners who remained at their posts during the Spring Festival. They gave up the opportunity to reunite with their families and guarded a group of "furry children", carefully wiping their cages and patiently comforting timid little ones. They said, "Since they have accepted, we cannot betray their trust. There are also those pet owners who have no choice but to choose foster care, but are always worried and check their feedback repeatedly every day. What they care about is whether my little one is doing well there. The booming pet foster care market is a concrete manifestation of people's emotional dependence on pets and an extension of the "companion economy". But behind the popularity, there are still some regrets and helplessness: some pet owners paid a high price, only to receive a mentally exhausted "furry child"; Some practitioners have sincerity, but due to the lack of standardized guidance, it is difficult to balance service quality and operating costs. I deeply realize that pet foster care is not just a "money making business", but also a responsibility that concerns life and carries care. Undoubtedly, this industry is not perfect at present, as it has accompanied the rapid growth of people's demand for pet companionship. The rise time is too fast, and the growth time is too short. The standardization of the industry still needs time to settle. We have reason to hope that one day, the industry will have clear standards to follow, transparent fees, and standardized care, so that every effort can correspond to equal responsibility. Pet foster care is no longer a "dilemma" for pet owners to "not trust foster care, and neither trust foster care"; We also hope that practitioners can take care of every one of them“